Breastfeeding May Not Prevent Eczema

September 7, 2011

To determine whether breastfeeding protects from eczema — and if so, to what extent — researchers from King’s College London, England’s University of Nottingham and the University of Ulm, Germany, gathered data on 51,119 children ages 8 to 12 from 21 nations, focusing on those who had been exclusively breastfed for at least four months. The data included information on breastfeeding, when the baby was weaned, and eczema. Children were examined for eczema and tested by skin prick for allergies.

Investigators found that the children who had been exclusively breastfed for at least four months had the same risk of eventually developing eczema as those who had been weaned earlier.